Field of Dreams star Adnan Miakhel shines on Lancashire seconds debut
Andrew Flintoff protégé, who was granted asylum in UK after fleeing militia fighters in Afghanistan, scores 25 not out and takes wicket against Yorkshire
Adnan Miakhel, one of the stars of Andrew Flintoff’s television series Field of Dreams, made his second XI debut for Lancashire on Tuesday, scoring 25 not out and taking a wicket against Yorkshire.
The 18-year-old arrived in England from Afghanistan as a refugee three years ago unable to read, write or speak English. However, he featured in both series of the show in which Flintoff returned to Preston and offered a group of disaffected teenagers the chance to take up the game.
Miakhel was the star discovery by the former England all-rounder, who was so taken by his story and cricketing potential that he helped to push forward his application for asylum in the UK, which was accepted by the Home Office.
After the filming of the first series in 2022, Miakhel joined Wigan, in the Liverpool and District Competition, and began training with the academy at Lancashire. He made his debut for Lancashire Under-18 the following summer before taking the next step on the path to a professional career by representing the second team in a three-day friendly on Tuesday.
Miakhel came in at No10 with his team on 123 for eight, and scored 25 not out off 31 balls to help his side to a total of 159. In Yorkshire’s innings, the left-arm seam bowler took the wicket of the regular first-team player Jonathan Tattersall, caught behind down the leg side. Yorkshire closed on 177 for two.
To even get to this level in England speaks of Miakhel’s resilience. When he was 15 he had to flee Afghanistan in the back of a truck to avoid joining a group of local militia fighters. His brother had been forced to join the militia by his father and was killed, which made his mother urge Adnan to flee.
He made the dangerous journey to the UK over several weeks, sometimes alone on foot. He was fostered by Barry Brocklehurst and Elaine Jefferson and after the first series started at Rossall School, a boarding school in Fleetwood, on a scholarship where he is studying for his A-levels.
The initial series of Field of Dreams was filmed and aired before Flintoff’s devastating crash while working on the BBC show Top Gear. Flintoff is now the head coach of the England Lions and the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred. The 47-year-old said in the Disney+ documentary film released last week that returning to cricket had helped him to manage some of his trauma from the crash, which left him with horrific injuries and severe anxiety.
Andrew Flintoff protégé, who was granted asylum in UK after fleeing militia fighters in Afghanistan, scores 25 not out and takes wicket against Yorkshire
Adnan Miakhel, one of the stars of Andrew Flintoff’s television series Field of Dreams, made his second XI debut for Lancashire on Tuesday, scoring 25 not out and taking a wicket against Yorkshire.
The 18-year-old arrived in England from Afghanistan as a refugee three years ago unable to read, write or speak English. However, he featured in both series of the show in which Flintoff returned to Preston and offered a group of disaffected teenagers the chance to take up the game.
Miakhel was the star discovery by the former England all-rounder, who was so taken by his story and cricketing potential that he helped to push forward his application for asylum in the UK, which was accepted by the Home Office.
After the filming of the first series in 2022, Miakhel joined Wigan, in the Liverpool and District Competition, and began training with the academy at Lancashire. He made his debut for Lancashire Under-18 the following summer before taking the next step on the path to a professional career by representing the second team in a three-day friendly on Tuesday.
Miakhel came in at No10 with his team on 123 for eight, and scored 25 not out off 31 balls to help his side to a total of 159. In Yorkshire’s innings, the left-arm seam bowler took the wicket of the regular first-team player Jonathan Tattersall, caught behind down the leg side. Yorkshire closed on 177 for two.
To even get to this level in England speaks of Miakhel’s resilience. When he was 15 he had to flee Afghanistan in the back of a truck to avoid joining a group of local militia fighters. His brother had been forced to join the militia by his father and was killed, which made his mother urge Adnan to flee.
He made the dangerous journey to the UK over several weeks, sometimes alone on foot. He was fostered by Barry Brocklehurst and Elaine Jefferson and after the first series started at Rossall School, a boarding school in Fleetwood, on a scholarship where he is studying for his A-levels.
The initial series of Field of Dreams was filmed and aired before Flintoff’s devastating crash while working on the BBC show Top Gear. Flintoff is now the head coach of the England Lions and the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred. The 47-year-old said in the Disney+ documentary film released last week that returning to cricket had helped him to manage some of his trauma from the crash, which left him with horrific injuries and severe anxiety.
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